Transportation device



April 13, 1965 E. A. PHILLIPS TRANSPORTATION DEVICE 4 Sheets-5heet 1 Filed Nov. 6, 1962 Q wfi m n; Em HIKWIRNHIIIWNI J md h i W I N I 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 E. A. PHILLIPS TRANSPORTATION DEVICE A ril 13, 1965 Filed Nov. 6, 1962 April 13, 1965 E. A. PHILLIPS TRANSPORTATION DEVICE 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Nov. 6, 1962 April 13, 1965 E. A. PHILLIPS TRANSPORTATION DEVICE 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed NOV. 6, 1962 77 79 7&76 7

United States Patent 3,173,944 TRANSEGRTATHUN DEVECE Earl A. Phillips, La Grange llarlr, llL, assignor to Union Tank Klar- Cenipany, Qhicago, ill, a corporation of New Hersey Filed Nov. 6, 19b2, Ser. No. 235,713 Claims. ((Jl. 214-851) The present in 'ention relates to apparatus for handling material and, in particular, relates to apparatus which forms a part of a system for the handling and transporting of materials in both liquid and dry form in containers carried upon vehicles.

It is an obiect of the present invention to provide a new and improved system for handling and transporting materials stored in liquid or dry form in containers.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an arrangement for transporting a container on a platform and for loading and unloading such container on and from the platform.

It is a further object of the present invention :to provide a device that fixedly secures a container or the like to a =platforrn during transportation and, alternatively, that effects the unloading of the container from the platform after the point of destination is reached.

It is another object of the apresent invention to provide a system of handling materials which preferably includes the use of cylindrical containers which can be rolled onto vehicles having flat beds, such as railway fiatca-rs, trucks, decks of barges, and the like, and anchored thereon while being transported on such vehicles, the system functioning in one condition to provide means for rolling such containers into position upon the vehicles as well as unloading them when they are to be removed from the vehicles used for transporting purposes, and in another condition to hold such containers in place on the vehicles while being transported.

It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide an arrangement for the handling and transporting of materials in containers which, insofar as capacity is concerned, tall somewhat between tank cars used for transporting various materials in large unit form and drums which are small and handled and transported in individ ual sizes on trucks, railway cars and the like.

It is still another object of my invention to orovide a means for transporting various kinds of commodities in large quantities in containers, preferably cylindrical in form, which can be tilled with various commodities in liquid and dry form and sealed therein, which containers can be rolled upon the beds of flat cars, trucks, barge-s, and the like, and removed therefrom and @laced for storage purposes in warehouses, platforms, or in yards as may be desired, thereby reducing the cost of charges incident to the storing of such materials in railway cars and paying storage and demurr-age charges thereon.

These and other objects of the present invention will be more fully and better understood by reference to the accompanying drawings and in which:

P16. 1 is an elevational view of a cylindrical container secured to a portion of a fiat bed railway car by a transportation device embodying the features of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an end elevational view of the device of EEG. 1 in its supporting position;

FIG. 4 is an end elevational view of the device of FIG. 1 in one of'its conveying positions;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a cradle and skid arrangement, embodied in the device of FIG. 1, ttor supporting the container in position upon the railway car;

PEG. 6 is an enlarged top view of the cradle and skid combination of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view taken along lines 7-7 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along lines 8-8 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is an elevat-ional view similar to FIG. 1 of a modified form of the transportation device of PEG. 1, illustrating a portion of the device in phantom in its conveying posit-ion; and

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of part of the device of FIG. 9.

Referring now specifically to the drawings, in which like reference characters refer :to like parts throughout, there is illustrated a container 10, preferably made of steel, aluminum, iiber glass, or of a plastic material. The container ill) has a circular wall portion 111 provided with ends 1 2 and 13 which may be welded or otherwise firmly fixed in sealed relation to the wall portion 101, thereby :to provide a liquid holding container. A rnanway 14, is provided having a cover 1-5 which is tightly fitted into the manway to form a tight closure against leakage of liquid that may be carried by the container 19. An outlet pipe 16 for the container '16 is provided which is on the opposite side of the container to the manway '14 and may be used for emptying the container in when desired. Roll rings 17 and do are positioned circumferentially around the wall 1.1 adjacent each of its ends and, specifically, are welded or swagcd to the wall 11 of the container 10 as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and B. The rings 17 and 1-8 extend radially outwardly of the container 10 and include at their outer ends flat surfaces parallel with the wall 11. Hence, when the container 110 is horizontally oriented as shown in FIG. 1, the fiat surfaces of the rings 17 and '18, and not the body or" the container, engage a fiat surface disposed beneath the container. Thus, the container 10 via its rings 17 and 18 rolls from place to place when transferred to and from a car, truck, or the like or when moved upon the ground, the floors of a loading platform, or the floor of a storage building. The container 10 also includes a cable ring :19 which extends circumferentially of its Wall 11 intermediate the roll rings 17 and 18. The ring 19 has spaced side flanges 2t 21 which project outward from the base of the cable ring 19 to form a channel that accommodates a cable =22 of a transportation device so. The transportation device 66 functions to load the container till on a flat car 23, to fixedly secure the container ill on the ilat car 23 during transit, and to unload the container 10 from the fiat car 23 when at the point of destination. The device 69 is secured to the bed 23a of the flat car 23 and includes a pair of spaced support members '24, :24 mounted by suitable means to the bed 23a of the flat car .23. Each of said support members 24 comprises a cradle portion 25 having side walls 2 6 and 27 extending upwardly from a base sportion 2 8 and, further, comprises skids 29 and Ell integrally formed with the cradle portion 25. Each of the skids 29 and 36 have base portions 3. 1 land 32 on their underside near their outer ends, skid 2? having side wall portions 33 and 3:; while skid has side wall portions 355 and as. As shown, the side walls 33, 34, 3 5, and 36 are spaced from each other a sufiicient distance so that the roll rings 1-7 and 18 will be received therebetween.

The cradle portion 25 embodies a cradle block 37 having a bottom portion 38 and side walls 39 and ll), the bottom portion 38 having a trunnion 41 formed thereon. A pivot axle 42 is mounted in the trunnion 41 and its ends extend through and are supported by the side walls 26 and 27 of the cradle portion 25.

By this construction, the cradle block 37 rocks during the placing and removal of the container ill on the cradle portion 25. Rollers 43 and M are mounted upon pins 45 and as which have their ends mounted in the side walls 39 and 42b of the cradle block 37. The rollers 43 and 44 engage the roll rings 17 and 18 and provide means by which the container 11 is rotatably supported upon the cradle block 37. The side Walls 39 and 49 of the cradle block 357 are spaced from each other the same distance as are the walls 3 3 and 34 on the skid 29 and the Walls 35 and so on the skid 30 so the roll rings 17 and 1% will pass therebetween. The upper ends of each of the side walls 39 and 4d of the cradle block 37 are arcuate in shape corresponding in curvature to the side wall 11 of the container ill and so graduated in height as to extend above the rollers 43 and 44 but out of engagement with the side wall 11 of the container 10. The side Walls 26 and 27 of the cradle portion 25 have two pairs of aligned openings therein within which stops 4'7 and 48 are normally inserted to hold the cradle block 37 in a fixed position and prevent its rocking. When the container is being loaded, one of the stops 47 or 48 is removed so that the cradle block 57 may be tilted toward the container '10 as it is received thereon. When the container It) is in its transit position, shown in FIG. 3, with the cradle block 3'7 returned to its normal supporting position (see FIGS. 3 and 7), either of the removed stops 47 or 48 is replaced and the cradle block 37 locked or latched in position. Conversely, when the container lid is being unloaded, one of the stops 47 or 48 is removed and, because of the pivotal mounting of the cradle block 37, the container It? is easily tilted off of the block 37 onto either of the skids 2% or 36 under the control of gravity.

'Pivotally secured to each of the outer ends or" each support member 24, are skids 49, 49 which are U-shaped in cross-section. Specifically, the skids 4? are bolted to the support member 24 by means of bolts 59, 50. A connecting member 51 is also pivotally bolted to the end of one of the skids 49 by bolt 52 so that when the container 10 is seated on the cradle portion 25, the free end of the connecting member 51 can be secured to the other skid.

49. As a result, the container lid is held in position upon the cradle block 37 and is fixedly secured to the bed 23a of the fiat car 23.

The skids 49, 45? are also used for loading or unloading the container 19, as shown in FIG. 4 of the drawings.

In this case, the members '51, 51 of each sub-assembly are released at one of their ends from their associated skids ground, whereby there is formed a ramp over which the container Ill is rolled during its loading and unloading. There is provided support stands 53, 53 which are connected to the junctures of the skids 49, 49 and connecting members 51, 51. In this manner, the skids 49, 49 are supported as the container 10 is rolled thereover.

The container 19 is rolled to its loaded position upon the cradle block 37 by means of the cable 22, one end of which is anchored to an eye 54 secured to the bed 23 of the railway car. The body of the cable 22 extends upward and around the container 10 along the cable ring 19 formed by the spaced side flanges 20 and 21, passes around a vertically oriented idler pulley 55, then passes around a horizontal pulley 56 also mounted upon the bed 23a, under one of the support members 24 and to a winch 57 mounted in a frame 58 secured to the bed 23a of the railway car. The winch 57 is shown as manually actuated, but which in actual practice would probably be power operated by some form of motor, either electrical -or hydraulic, both of which mechanisms are old and well known in the art. The cable 22 as shown is positioned to load or unload a container over the left side of the car, as

viewed in FIG. 4.

If it is desired, to load or unload the container 19 over the right side of the railway car bed 23a, the cable 22 could be threaded from the winch 57 around the pulley 56 (in a direction opposite to that above) and then around pulley'59 and the container 10 to an anchor (not shown) secured to the right side bed 23a of the car 23, as seen in FIG. 4.

the car, as viewed in FIG. 3.

4i tainer it? upon the cable block 3'7 by securing the free end of the cable to a pin or the like in the side of the cable ring 19' and thereafter using the winch 57 to roll the container it) to a position where the manway 14 is at the top of the container and the outlet pipe in is at the bottom of the container, which position would be necessary for the filling and emptyirn of the container either with liquid or solid material. A recess 61 is shown in one of the roll rings which is so positioned'that when the manway i4 is at the top'oif the container one of the rollers 43 or 44 engages the recess 61, whereby rotation of the container 1% upon the cradle block 37 is prevented.

In operation, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings particularly, the container 16 is in anchored position upon the bed 23a of a flat car 23 for transit. In unloading the container 1t? from the left side of the car 23, for example, the flat car 23 would, of course, be located in the desired position on the railway siding or the like. First, the bolts 52. are removed from the right ends of the connecting members 51 and the skids 49 on the right side of Next, the skids d9, 49 are lowered into the position shown in FIG. 4 and the support stands 53 are placed in position to support the skids 49, 49 and connecting members 51. As a result, a continuous ramp is provided from the edge of the car to the ground or to a platform or to another vehicle.

transfer of the container 10 from the cradle blocks 37 onto the skids so is effected and the container it) rolls in a counter-clockwise direction down the inclined skids 3t) and onto the skids 49. Before the stops 48 are removed, the [free end of the cable is attached to the eye -54 and the cable 22 kept taut by'the winch as the container rolls onto the skids Sit. Continued slackening of 't e cable 22 either through the use of a motor or a suitable braking mechanism enables the operator to control the speed with which the container 10 rolls down the skids 3d, skids 49, and connecting members 51 and onto a loading platform or other vehicle.

After the container 10 is deposited at the proper position away from the car 23, the cable 22. is unhooked from the eye 54 and drawn around the winch 57. If the car 23 has a plurality of containers loaded on it either in end-to-end relation centrally of the car, or if the containers are smaller and placed in units in side-to-side relation to each other over the bed of the car, the operation would be the same as that heretofore described.

If the unloading operation were to take place on the opposite side of the car 23 from that described, the skids 49 would be lowered to form a ramp on ,the right side of 'the car 23.

The cable 22 would be threaded around the container 1% inthe opposite direction and when the ramp was in position and the workmen ready to remove the container, the stopsv 4'7 would be removed from under the cradle blocks 37 permitting the cradle blocks to tilt in a clockwise direction and the container Ill would roll by gravity over the skids 29 and downthe ramp on the opposite side of the car onto .a loading platform or other vehicle.

In loading the container 1% onto the bed of the car, the

reverse operation occurs, i.e., the cable is pulled out from the winch 57, passed under and around the container Ill,

and its free end attached to the eye 54. Next, the container 10 is properly positioned so that the roll rings 17 and 18 are aligned with the ramps formed by the connecting members 51 and skids 49. Thereafter, the cable is wound upon the winch 5'7 and a rotary pulling force is exerted upon the container 10. Hence, the container rolls up the connecting members 51 and skids 49, skids 30 which have been piaced previously in position as hereinabove described. The container It! then rolls onto the skids 30 and thence the cradle blocks 37 which are tilted as a result of the stops 48 having been removed. Finally the container is moved onto its transit position and the stop 48 replaced. Should it be desirable to rotate the container 16 on the cradle block 37, the cable 22 could be released from the eye 54 and secured to a pin or recess in the cable ring 19 and the winch S7 operated. With the container in the desired position, for example the manway located at the top of the container and the outlet 16 at the bottom, the skids 49 are moved upwardly and the free ends of the connecting members 51 secured to the opposite skids 4?, thereby anchoring the container 10 securely in the cradle 37 upon the support members 25 mounted on the bed 23a of the flat car 23. It will be noted that the skids 49 when in vertical position converge toward each other toward their upper ends and engage the sides of the container above its center, so that, when the connecting members 51 are secured to the skids 49, an inward force is exerted upon the container 19, as well as a downward pressure to hold the container in firm position upon the cradle blocks 37 and restrain it against rotation. In addition, the container is restrained against axial movement because of the coaction of the roll rings 17 and 18 with the skids 49 and the coaction of the fiat outer surfaces of the roll rings 17 and 18 with the side walls 39 and 45 of the cradle blocks 37. Thus, the container is firmly held in position against shocks which would be imparted to the container as the car 23 is transported in a train or in switching yards or the like.

If desired, of course, the containers could be loaded while in position upon the car with commodities somewhat on the order of an ordinary tank or hopper car, either with liquid or with dry material, without the removal of the container 1% from the car 23 or the truck.

A modified form of the transportation device is illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 1G and is generally identified by reference numeral 6%. This modified form of the transportation device is identical to the transportation device 16 illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 8; with the exception that differently constructed skids are embodied in the FIG. 9 device.

Specifically, the device 60 embodies a pair of skid structures 61 as contrasted to the four individual skids 49 in the FIG. 1 device. Each of the skid structures embodies a pair of skid trusses 62 interconnected at their free ends by a bar 73 so that the trusses 62 move as a unit. Each of the trusses 62 includes an upper chord member 59 having a generally S shape connected at its ends to a lower chord member 63. The chord member 63 includes a first section 65 and a base section 54- and, as illustrated, the chord members 59 and 63 are interconnected at spaced apart points by struts 66. Similar to the skids 49, the chord members 62 are channel shaped and include spaced walls 67 and 68 interconnected by webs 69, which form a track for the roll rings 17 and 13 on the container 10. The side walls 67 and 68 act as guides for the roll rings 17 and 18 and prevent longitudinal movement of the container 1! as it rolls over the skids in the loading and unloading operation. In order to pivotally attach the skid structures 61 to the support members, the end of the skid trusses 62 (opposite the end which is secured to the bar 73) is suitably apertured, as indicated at 70, to accommodate bolts 56.

The bar 73 performs several functions. For example, it maintains the skid trusses 61 in predetermined spaced relation, it imports additional rigidity to the skid arrangement, it space relates the skid trusses 61 to the roll rings 17 and 18, it provides means whereby the skid trusses 61 may be raised and lowered as a unit by mean of the cable and winch, an opening 74 being provided therein for attachment of the cable 22 for such purpose.

Blocks 75, 75 are suitably secured to pads 72 attached to the bar 73. The blocks 75 have internally threaded openings for receiving a connecting rod 76 having re versely threaded end portions 77 and 78 and a squared wrench engaging central section 79. By this construction, the skid structures 61 are drawn together in tight relation against the drum 10, so the container Iii is firmly held in position upon the cradle blocks 37, 37.

In FIG. 10 the cable 22 is shown as reversely threaded into the operating mechanism, i.e., its free end is secured to an eye 86 and extends upward over the container 10 down around the vertically positioned pulley 59, across to the horizontal pulley 56 and thence to the winch 57. Thus, as the cable 22 is slackened off, the skid structures 61, 61 are lowered to the position shown in dotted lines in FIG. 9 under control of the Winch 57 and the container rolled in a clockwise direction off the support members 2 and onto the skid structures 61, 61.

While the forms described herein are considered to be preferred, it is understood that various modifications and improvements may be made therein, and it is intended to cover in the appended claims all such modifications and improvements as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What is desired to be claimed and secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. Apparatus for handling and transporting a container, said apparatus including a platform means, means secured to said platform means for supporting said container and including movable cradle means for facilitating movement of said container, said cradle means including a cradle and stop means for maintaining said cradle in selected position to receive and hold said container, and skid means movably secured to said supporting means, said skid means acting in one position to fixedly secure said container to said supporting means and in another position to provide a ramp for conveying said container onto and off of said supporting means and platform means.

2. Apparatus for handling and transporting material comprising in combination with a vehicle having a fiat bed portion, container support members secured to the bed of the vehicle having channels in the faces thereof, a cylindrical container, roll rings extending circumferentially of the container, second channel support members forming a ramp over which the container is rolled in one position and encompassing the container in another position so as to be secured together at their ends, said roll rings being positioned in the channels in the support members whereby longitudinal movement of the container thereon is prevented, cable means associated with the said vehicle whereby the said container is rolled onto the said vehicle and also unloaded therefrom, cradle blocks in the second support members, axles on which the cradle blocks are pivotally supported mounted in the support members, and selectively removable support stops under each end of the said cradles supporting the cradles against rotation.

3. Apparatus for handling and transporting material comprising in combination with a vehicle having flat bed portion, container support members extending downwardly toward opposite sides of the bed of the vehicle and having channels in the faces thereof, a cylindrical container, roll rings extending circumferentially, skids pivotally mounted to the ends of the support members and having channels, said skids forming a ramp over which the container is rolled in one position and encompassing the container in another position to be secured together at their ends, said roll rings being positioned in the channels in the support member and the skids whereby longitudinal movement of the container thereon is prevented, cable means associated with said vehicle whereby the said container is rolled onto said vehicle and also unloaded therefrom, cradle blocks in the second support members, axles on which the cradle blocks are pivotally supported mounted in the support members, and selectively remov- 'able support stops in the said support members extending under the said cradle blocks at each of their ends.

4. Apparatus for handling and transporting material comprising in combination with a vehicle having a fiat bed portion, means secured to said flat bed portion of said vehicle for supporting said container and including movable cradle means for facilitating movement of said container, said cradle means including a cradle and stop means for maintaining said cradle in selected position to receive and hold said container, and skid means movmeans; means secured to said platform means for receiving and supporting a container structure; and ramp defining means pivot-ally secured to said supporting means so as to facilitate the positive positioning of a container structure on said supporting means and for facilitating -the conveyance of a container structure onto and off of said supporting means, said ramp defining means including at least a pair of elongated skid members one each of which is pivotally secured on oppositely disposed sides of said platform means so that a container structure is located therebetween when positioned on said supporting -me'ans, said skid members being movable from a first position whereat said skid members partially encompass 'a container structure positioned on said supporting means to a second position whereat'said skid members define a portion of a ramp 'for conveying a container structure onto and ofi of said supporting means, said ramp defining -means also including an elongated extension arm and means for removably securing said elongated extension arm at the extremities thereof to the extremities of said skid members 'on each side of said supporting means when in said first position so that said extension arm encompasses the remaining portion of said container structure and maintains said container structure in fixed relation on said supporting means, said elongated extension arm being selectively joinable to only one of said skid members when in said second position so as to complete said ramp over which a container structure is conveyed.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,226,483 5/17 Duvall 214 4632 1,425,051 8/22 Ralnsay' 21446.32 1,432,151 10/22 Biggs 214--38.32 1,452,608 4/23 Kirst.

2,198,644 4/ Wettengel.

2,231,138 2/41 Pugh 214-64 2,765,938 10/56 Diaddezio 214- 85.l 3,021,970 2/62 Bigge et al. 214-851 X FOREIGN PATENTS 35,342 6/12 Sweden.

HUGO O. SCHULZ, Primary Examiner. -GERALD M. FORLENZA, Examiner. 

3. APPARATUS FOR HANDLING AND TRANSPORTING MATERIAL COMPRISING IN COMBINATION WITH A VEHICLE HAVING FLAT BED PORTION, CONTAINER SUPPORT MEMBERS EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY TOWARD OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE BED OF THE VEHICLE AND HAVING CHANNELS IN THE FACES THEREOF, A CYLINDRICAL CONTAINER, ROLL RINGS EXTENDING CIRCUMFERENTIALLY, SKIDS PIVOTALLY MOUNTED TO THE ENDS OF THE SUPPORT MEMBERS AND HAVING CHANNELS, SAID SKIDS FORMING A RAMP OVER WHICH THE CONTAINER IS ROLLED IN ONE POSITION AND ENCOMPASSING THE CONTAINER IN ANOTHER POSITION TO BE SECURED TOGETHER AT THEIR ENDS, SAID ROLL RINGS BEING POSITIONED IN THE CHANNELS IN THE SUPPORT MEMBER AND THE SKIDS WHEREBY LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT OF THE CONTAINER THEREON IS PREVENTED, CABLE MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID VEHICLE WHEREBY THE SAID CONTAINER IS ROLLED ONTO SAID VEHICLE AND ALSO UNLOADED THEREFROM, CRADLE BLOCKS IN THE SECOND SUPPORT MEMBERS, AXLES ON WHICH THE CRADLE BLOCKS ARE PIVOTALLY SUPPORTED MOUNTED IN THE SUPPORT MEMBERS, AND SELECTIVELY REMOVABLE SUPPORT STOPS IN THE SAID SUPPORT MEMBERS EXTENDING UNDER THE SAID CRADLE BLOCKS AT EACH OF THEIR ENDS. 